Students and alumni on how a staff member has impacted their life

January 22, 2018

When I visited Lynbrook during my freshman year of college, I recall Mrs. Dunlap asking me if I was taking any literature classes. At the time, I was exploring new academic fields, and it never crossed my mind to enroll in an English course. And yet, my literature classes with Mrs. Dunlap were among my favorite high school courses. The conversations that she facilitated in her freshman year literature class and in senior year AP Literature prompted me to reflect deeply about universal aspects of the human condition, and they sparked within me a passion for storytelling. In college, I’ve wondered if I would major in an academic field I had yet to discover. After over two years, I finally realized that what I had been searching for had been waiting for me all this time. I declared the English Major with a concentration in creative writing last quarter, and I have never felt more at home in my classes and academic department. To Mrs. Dunlap: thank you for instilling within me an appreciation for literature and writing during my years in your classes. I wouldn’t be where I am today without you. —Sunny Wu, Stanford University ’19, LHS ‘15

By Aditya Garg, Class of 2017 Alumni

Mr. Fulk has been a very influential figure in my life. He is pretty much the reason, outside of my family, why I am studying mathematics in college right now. Mr. Fulk motivated me to do my best every single day and I am extremely grateful for that. He worked with me and only wanted me to succeed. I appreciate that. Thank you Mr. Fulk!

By Cindy Pham, Senior

Aside from instilling a deeper interest in the Spanish language in my freshman mind, Maestra Morelos has taught me a lesson that has lasted me throughout my four years at Lynbrook and will continue with me in my future. Her belief that soft skills, or attitude and communication skills, are much more important than the hard skills, aka facts from the books, are my constant reminder that there is much more to me than just studies. In fact, I should always be looking for more qualities in a person than just their grades in school.

Gracias Maestra, por su consejo inolvidable!

For Mr. Pallone

The first day of freshman year is always confusing; I didn’t even attend Viking Day so I didn’t know where my classes were. I still vividly remember that class though; my first impression, like I walked in yesterday. For me, and I’m sure all the other students too; the bio classes were a bit weird: sinks everywhere and different stools instead of chairs. There was music playing and a tall, bald man dressed professionally was dancing and lip syncing at the front of the class. With a unique name came a unique personality; his classes were fun and exciting and his friendliness is something I will always remember. But that one fatal mistake; that wasn’t mine but still was in a way; made me a simple student, forever and always.

By: Ryan Tseng, Class of 2017 Alumni

I really miss all my teachers from high school. I’m grateful for all of them, and although I wish I could talk about all of them here, I want to commemorate two teachers who have impacted me the most.

Most of my peers thought that the growth mindset was useless and a waste of time. I thought the concept itself, that people can build their knowledge with time and effort, was common sense, but worth remembering. Since then, I’ve seen its applications beyond academics, as I can attribute it to my growth in responsibility and maturity. I’d like to thank Mrs. Levin, one of the most lively and positive teachers I’ve had at Lynbrook, for teaching me this idea. You rock, Mrs. Levin!

Mr. Fulk is definitely the teacher who has inspired me the most. I still remember the text-based RPG he programmed and those random moments when he would start geeking out because it was awesome that he wasn’t afraid to show what he was passionate about. In college, I talk with my roommate about anything computer related and continue my pastime of programming video games, inspired by memories of Mr. Fulk. Stay geeky, Mr. Fulk!

By Aditya Garg, Class of 2017 Alumni

Mr. Bale was honestly the funniest and most hilarious teacher I had in my 4 years at lynbrook. He understood the challenges and the pressure and stress students face in school and outside of school, so his class was always very chill and fun. In general, Mr. Bale has a very good and funny personality. Mr. Bale helped reduce some of my stress by providing me with a real chill and easy-going environment in his classroom. I appreciate that a lot. Thank you Mr. Bale!

By Ajeet Kotturu, junior

When learning literature from my previous years I could not understand the meaning of some significant details. I was also weak at writing detailed essays. However when learning world literature/writing, Ms. Harlin was able to help me bridge these ideas together and connect these ideas to real life. She was also very generous and cared a lot about her students. When I got my first essay assignment I was still worried about writing a strong essay. I went to Ms. Harlin for extra help and she was able to clarify where I needed to improve and ever since then I have been able to write better essays. Ms. Harlin made the course engaging and also did fun activities in class. These activities made literature a lot more fun to learn. Even after my sophomore year, I still remember all the fun activities I did in the class. She helped me grow in literature and also showed how I could fix my weaknesses in literature. Today, I am working on how I can become even better at literature. Literature may have been a struggle but Ms. Harlin showed me that I had potential. Thank you Ms. Harlin for everything you did for me.

By Patricia Wei, Web Editor

I’m lucky to say that my worst day of high school has a silver lining.

It was a Friday during April of my sophomore year, when I was confronted with academic and social insecurities. I felt unappreciated. Misunderstood. Alone.

Because I had been so busy studying and working, I never had time to process my emotions. That Friday was one of the first times that month I wasn’t spending my lunch studying or working on a story. I decided to go to the gym to watch SpikeFest’s Staff vs. Students volleyball game, featuring my favorite Japanese teachers Kitchen and Kobayashi sensei. As I watched the game, finally having a moment for my mind to relax and unwind, I started to cry. When I finally cleaned myself up, I instinctively headed to Ms. Hamilton’s room. I had newspapers to deliver to her, as she was sick the day we distributed.

When I walked in, she was sitting at her desk, huddled in a blanket. She took one look at me and said, “Patricia…you look like you’ve been crying.” That was the moment I let it all out. I had one of those cries where you start hiccuping and can’t talk for 5 minutes right in front of her. She told me to not let anything bring me down.

I hope that those days are behind me, that the worst parts about high school have already passed. But if they haven’t, I am grateful to know that Ms. Hamilton will be there for me if I need to rant, cry or just get a hug.